Thirty-three professionals from Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific will tee it up in what will be ironically the thirty-third staging of the Vanuatu Golf Open.

Played at Port Villa Country Club, the tournament boasts AU$50,000 prize money and forms part of the Ladbrokes PGA Pro-Am Series.

Defending Champion Aaron Cox will headline the field which also includes the three times Vanuatu Open Champion Brad McIntosh and the 2017 Fiji Sheritan Golf Classic winner Pieter Zwart. Cox is excited at the prospect of defending his title and explains:

“I’ve been practicing in the UK over the summer and really looking forward to defending my title. It will be my ninth visit and I feel my game is in good shape.”

NSW Senior State Manager David Barker praised the work of the organising committee and outlining the importance of the event.

“The South Pacific has been a pillar of our Pro-Am circuits for over three decades and it is great to see the sport of golf continue to develop for both locals and ex-pats alike," Barker said.

"Bryan (Death) does an amazing job coordinating the event and one that is extremely popular for both amateur and professional competitors.”

The tournament is rich in tradition and despite the best effort of Cyclone Pam in 2015 which devastated the area, the tournament it is now back bigger than ever with over 150 amateur and professional guests congregating to the region.

The benefits of the tournament will reach far greater than just the golfing community with a significant injection of funds to the local economy through tourism.

The four round tournament will commence on Thursday 31 August with the winner being crowned on Sunday afternoon.